AT least three people have been injured after a devastating wildfire broke out on the Costa del Sol on Sunday afternoon, prompting authorities to send an emergency alert notification and urge thousands of residents to stay indoors.
The blaze, which broke out near the Ermita del Rosario area of Benahavis, Malaga just after 12.30pm yesterday, remains active with a large firefighting operation continuing to battle the flames.
READ MORE: WATCH: Major wildfire erupts in Benahavis – emergency alert sent as residents urged to stay indoors
More than 210 personnel worked overnight, including 26 specialist groups, seven Forest Fire Reinforcement Brigades (BRICA), 14 water tanker vehicles and three heavy machines from Plan Infoca, Andalucia’s regional forest fire service.
The effort was also aided by 22 aerial crews, with firefighting efforts set to continue from the air on Monday morning.
The weather is expected to assist efforts to extinguish the flames, with humidity forecast to reach around 80 per cent and strong easterly winds, which had been pushing the inferno towards the Estepona area, set to diminish.
Three people have been injured so far – one man was taken to hospital in Malaga with burns, another was treated for smoke inhalation and a Plan Infoca worker suffered a wrist injury.
Andalucia’s regional government raised the emergency to operational level 1 of the wildfire emergency plan and sent an ES-Alert notification to residents, urging those in Benahavis town centre, La Coja urbanisation and properties scattered to the north and west to stay indoors.
Residents have also been urged to close doors and windows, avoid going outside or exercising outdoors, wear a mask if they must go out and take extra precautions with children, elderly people and anyone with respiratory conditions.
Confinement orders remain in place as of Monday morning.
Around 50 residents of the luxury Montemayor Alto urbansiation were also evacuated, although they were allowed to return to their homes overnight following a meeting of the Emergency Plan Advisory Committee.
“The priority remains protecting the population and residential areas,” said regional minister Antonio Sanz.
The A-7175 road, which had been partially closed last night due to the fire, has been reopened.
Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.
